Pianissimo device.



PATENTED OUT. 10, 1905.

P. KRUMSOHEID.

PIANI$SIMO DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 7. 1904.

\ JEHTEIP.

WITHEEEE: cfiw Mam PETER KRUMSOHEID, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANISSIIVIO DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed October '7, 1904. Serial No. 227,577.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER KRUMsoHnID, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pianissimo Devices, ofwhich the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification.

My invention relates to that part of a pianoaction that is connected toand governed by the soft pedal; and it consists in a peculiar mechanismby which the movement of the soft pedal is transmitted to the jack,causing the said jack to release the hammer partially before theadjustable stop on the regulating-rail begins to act, the object beingto improve and simplify this feature of a pianoforte-action. This objectI attain by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is an elevation, showing a key, wippen, hammer, and connectingparts with my improvements attached; Fig. 2, details.

The drawings show the action of a grand piano; butI do not confine mydevice to this kind of a piano, as it will apply with a slight andobvious modification to an upright-action.

The hammer, wippen, key, and connected parts need not be especiallydescribed, as they may be of any approved style and make.

My improvement is in connection with the jack and may be described asfollows: The jack A is pivoted to the support at B and has an arm O, asusual. My improvement in this case consists in the downward extensionI), which is provided with a V-shaped recess E. Arms F are attached tothe rod H, which extends in front of all of the wippens and is connectedat its ends and intermediately, if desired, to rocker-arms K. Theserocker-arms K are attached to a rocker-shaft L, which is journaled inthe brackets, in which it turns freely. K is an arm extending from therocker-shaft and is constructed to be operated by the lifting-rod R,which in turn is acted upon by the soft pedal T.

The operation of my invention may be explained'gas follows: When thepiano is played in its full tone-that is, independently of the softpedal the jack A will strike the hammerbutt P on the hammer-shank S withits full efiect inasmuch as it strikes the butt directly under itscenter, as shown in full lines. The arms F, which are very elastic andyielding,

do not extend quite to the end of the V-shaped recess E, so that thejack in its upward movement will not be affected by these arms when thesoft pedal is not on. When it is desired to use my soft-pedal device,the pedal is depressed, thus throwing up the lifting-rod R, which,acting upon the arm K, the rockershaft L, the arms K, and the rod H,will force the yielding arms F F against the inner end of the recess E,and thus throw thelower end of the jack back and the upper end forwardand out from immediately under the center of the butt P, as indicated bydotted lines. Now as the jack is thrown upward by the key its upper endwill quickly slide out from under the center of the butt P, and thuspartially release the hammer and lessen the blow to the degree desired.As the jack is thrown farther up to complete its stroke the arm C comesin contact with the regulating-button N and its upper end will be thrownentirely away from the butt, thus giving a complete release. Since thearms F are so constructed and inclined that their ends will not comeincontact with the ends of the V-shaped recesses soon enough to act uponthe jack until the required amount of motion has taken placeand as theyyield upwardly, they do not prevent the arm 0 from comingin contact withthe regulatingbutton N.

I claim In a pianissimo device a fixed regulatingbutton; a jack andmechanism connecting said jack with a soft pedal whereby the action ofthe said soft pedal will prevent. the said jack from acting withfulleifect upon the hammerbutt; and said soft pedal; substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 4th day of October, A.I). 1904.

PETER KRUMSOHEID.

WVitnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, J OI-IN BUCKLER.

